


The Nose Knows

by CoraOwned



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fetish, Fluff and Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:05:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2908724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoraOwned/pseuds/CoraOwned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was Regina’s worst erotic nightmare, and she could do nothing to stop it from playing out while she sat helplessly in the sidelines, shifting mindlessly in her seat as a wetness of her own began to take form.  The four times Regina almost got what she wanted and the one time she finally let herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Regina Makes a Slip

**Author's Note:**

> I have been toying with posting this for a while, but I think I want to now. I am a little nervous, but I feel confident that the character explorations I have been able to do in it are very valuable. There will be five parts in total, each getting more explicit as they go. The story is mostly finished, but I have decided to post it in sections in the hope that it will encourage me to push through to the end over the next few days.
> 
> WARNING: This story contains a less-known yet equally valid fetish portrayed through one of the characters. It will not be for everyone and may make some uncomfortable. While none of the characters will be harmed, it may edge on the side of discomfort at some points, in a way. Please heed this warning before proceeding, and don't be rude if it's not your cup of tea.

The first time it happened had been entirely unexpected.

Regina was sprawled out on their bed with her legs spread apart, and Emma was positioned down between them.  Her fingers were clutching the pillow under her head tightly, hoping to gain some stability in the midst of the movements that were slowly sending Regina’s senses into overdrive.

Emma’s tongue was circling around her clit, giving it a few tentative warm up licks as she began her skillful maneuvers after a long bout of teasing.  She would swipe over the increasingly bulging bud several times before darting town to dip her tongue inside.  She never stuck it deep enough in to do any more than just tease Regina, and only when she was close to the edge would Emma thrust in her fingers.  Of course they mixed things up, but after three years of marriage, Emma had fallen into a bit of a routine with knowing exactly what Regina liked best.

Regina was typically okay with that, but tonight she was feeling a little restless.  “Emma, stop messing around and fuck me already,” Regina whined, pushing her hips further down onto Emma’s mouth.  With a deep chuckle that resonated with puffs of hot air off the inside of Regina’s thighs, Emma agreed.

She placed a kiss on the opening before finally inserting two fingers slowly, and Regina’s hips buckled at the feeling of Emma beginning to fill her.  Her muscles stretched easily to accommodate the space needed for Emma’s digits, but still Regina whimpered as every slight movement shot tingles through her.  Emma’s fingers bent and pumped, twisting every so often in a pattern that quickly pulled Regina closer to the edge.  She could feel herself building, nothing but the sounds of heavy pants and her own wet arousal being slightly sloshed with the quick movements left to linger between them.

Regina was panting, dropping the pillows and reaching over to hold on tightly to the sheets next to her head just to find some sort of purchase, and that’s when it happened.  Emma’s face was rubbing against her as she skillfully moved her tongue in time with her fingers, the soft curls of Regina’s lower landing strip of hair tickling the blonde’s nose playfully.  She was probably due for a trim, but Emma never complained.  She was a bit suspicious that the blonde might secretly even like it.

The sound of Emma’s unexpected sneeze was muffled yet as unmistakable as the warm spray she instantly felt coat the inside of her leg.  Regina barely had time to process or think about it before she was reaching her building point and bursting over the edge, the intensity of everything in the moment becoming too much for her to handle.

Her cries tuned out Emma’s frantic apologies and she jerked her hips, angry that Emma had ceased all movement at such a critical moment.  After a few seconds, Emma seemed to realize what was happening and moved her hand just enough to allow Regina to enjoy the finishing tails of her orgasm.

With her breathing heavy, Regina stared up at the ceiling and tried to remember the last time she had come so hard.  Her vision was still a little fuzzy as everything continued coming back to her, along with Regina’s embarrassment.

Emma was never meant to know about _that_ particular turn on.  Regina herself was much too ashamed to even consider voicing it out loud.  It wasn’t something a proper lady should do, and though Regina knew she was being foolish to think her wife would ever judge this after all the horror from her past, Regina couldn’t bring herself to let go of the ongoing fear that it would be the thing to make Emma see her as crazy.

Sex for pleasure was still a relatively new concept in her life.  Before Emma, she had never experienced such a sensation, such a need for another person that didn’t come from duties or control.  There was craving and passion, and if she was honest with herself, Regina couldn’t imagine ever going back to something less.  Therefore, telling Emma would only be detrimental.

Regina was torn from her thoughts as Emma let out a heavy sigh and plopped down against her on the bed, ready to cuddle despite the awkward air quickly growing between them.

She looked over at her wife, smiling at the woman who still held a sheepish and slightly peculiar expression.

“I am so sorry, babe,” Emma mumbled through the relatively dark space.  The moonlight through the window was still bright enough to illuminate both women.

“Yes, well, I’ll let it pass this time.  But if you ever stop moving right as I come again you will be spending the night on the couch,” Regina huffed.

She knew what Emma was referring to but much preferred ignoring the conversation completely.  Maybe if Emma thought she never noticed the sneeze, she would drop it.  She’d be even happier if she could keep Emma from questioning her reaction to it.

It wasn’t that Regina really had a problem with the way her body responded.  Rather, she was afraid that Emma would find her disgusting for thinking such an insipid little disease spreading tick could be sexy.  Despite herself, Regina had a hard time seeing it as anything but, especially when coming from the woman she loved more than life.

Whenever Emma sneezed, her breath would always catch, and for a moment her chest would heave with several deep breaths that built within her steadily.  The tight tank tops she favored already left little to the imagination, and even less remained when the heaving caused her breasts to strain against the fabric.  Finally, like an orgasm, Emma would reach her release as the tickle grew too strong, and Regina would watch her curl into herself with the force.  The little sigh she sometimes released at the end, as if it had brought her just as much pleasure, was usually enough to send Regina off in search of a cold shower, and sometimes she would be left with Emma’s wet glistening lips as a result.

Even thinking about it now and replaying the events from earlier were enough to make Regina feel herself building up again.  Rather than pestering Emma for round two, though, she allowed the woman to curl up behind her and bring them into a spooning position.

“No,” Emma continued, clearly intent on having the conversation anyway.  “I mean, sorry I sneezed on you.  That was gross.  I’m surprised you didn’t kick me off the bed right then.”

Despite knowing that Emma couldn’t have known otherwise, Regina felt her heart sink just a little at the words, doubt creeping up on her full-force.

“I didn’t even notice.”

“What, too busy having the best orgasm of your life?” Emma retorted, and though she couldn’t see her anymore, Regina could just hear the cocky grin in her tone.

“Excuse me?  I would hardly call you sneezing on me and then ceasing all movement at a critical moment the best of my life.”

“So you admit, you did notice.  Yet you completely skipped an opportunity to snark at me for it, which is so unlike you.  Interesting.”

“I see nothing interesting about it, Emma,” Regina said with a huff.  “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get some sleep tonight, if you can stop chattering for long enough.”

She knew it was unfair of her to be so testy, but Emma was heading into dangerous territory with her questions and she seriously did not want to risk trying to answer them.  As usual, it was always better to divert.

With only minor grumbles, Emma snuggled in around her more tightly and sighed against the back of her neck.  Relieved to find herself in the clear, Regina allowed her spent mind to finally begin drifting off, enjoying the silence while it lasted.

Unfortunately, that ended before she could even reach the first stage of sleep.

“Maybe you didn’t complain because you _liked_ it,” Emma teased in her ear.

Regina couldn’t stop her involuntary action of stiffening in Emma’s arms.  She was mortified by the accusation, immediately going through her mind and trying to figure out where she might have given it away.  The teasing tone only processed in her mind after the fact, and by then she could tell Emma had definitely noticed her reaction and was now flustered and looking for a response from behind her.

“Oh, shit, did you like it?  I mean, uhh…” While Emma struggled to find the right words, Regina groaned and sulked to herself, unhappy with the fact that Emma could pick up on anything only when she didn’t want her to, but if she was trying to be obvious about something she couldn’t even get the most blatant clues.

“I, uh, guess that’s really different but… not different in a bad way just… unexpected and I…” Emma continued floundering through her words, putting Regina’s nerves on edge.

“If you’re quite finished with whatever absurd idea you’re rambling on about now, can we please sleep,” Regina snapped.

The blonde did immediately cut off her words, but she knew it wasn’t likely to be the end of that conversation.  Regina just knew she would have to try extra hard to keep her secret to herself, and her little bout of anger was likely enough to keep Emma from questioning anything for the rest of the night.


	2. In Which Regina Feels Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I mean, the response to this story isn't the biggest I've ever gotten (This is my covert secret account for things, shhh) but I'm genuinely shocked with the response to this. I knew it wouldn't be for everyone, but I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed it so far. Thank you for reading. I honestly look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback about it, since this is the first story of this nature I have attempted. This chapter is leading up to the emotional point, and then we get to the heavier smut. Stay tuned!

The second time was a few weeks later, and it went a little differently.

“HurrESHOO… heh… ha-eSHoo! ChOO!”

Regina froze, immediately pulling herself away from any chance of sleep as her brain began to process the sound coming from the blonde to her right and the slight jostling of their bed.  The awkward conversation from the last time such a sound had come from her wife went unmentioned so far, but for a moment she worried this would bring it back up again.

“Emma?” Regina groaned, turning in her spot to look at the blonde and see what had possibly led to such a wake-up.

Emma, for her part, was trying to bury her face in the pillows and grumbling to herself, leaving Regina with nothing more than the view of some blonde hair twisted every which way.

“I don’t feel good, Gina,” Emma whined, turning her head just enough to speak without the muffled pillow sound.

Regina imagined that was a pretty accurate description if the deep circles under her eyes and the runny redness around her nose had any say.

“Well,” she couldn’t help correcting.  With a sigh, Regina reached out a hand to feel Emma’s flushed forehead.  It was warm but nothing of any concern— she’d make sure to keep watching for any temperature spikes, though.  “I think, dear, it is likely you’ve come down with Ruby’s cold.  I told you to stay away from Girl’s Night last week.”

“Shuddup,” Emma grumbled before sneezing into her pillow again.  She shivered immediately after, and Regina found herself trapped between the urge to roll her eyes at the woman’s lack of personal hygiene and the urge to pull her snugly into her arms and warm her up.  The later won out.

“Come here.”  Regina sighed, raising an arm to give the younger woman enough space to scoot in.  Emma wasn’t ill often, but she had grown more than accustomed to the way it made her wife unbelievably clingy.

“But I’ll get you sick,” Emma said almost pathetically, and if it didn’t always play out this exact same way, Regina would have found the fruitless attempt to be endearing.

“Dear, after last night’s adventures, I’m fairly certain I am already doomed.  Now, do you want me to warm you up or not?”

Without another delay, Emma was in her arms, clinging greedily on like a little baby koala bear.  Emma’s head found its favorite spot against her chest and tucked under her chin.  Regina merely chuckled and lowered the raised arm so it could wrap around Emma’s back.  “Now, go back to sleep.”

Emma grumbled to herself and relaxed against Regina, warmth radiating off her body while she tried desperately to get more.

As Emma’s noisy breathing began to even out, Regina found herself alone with thoughts she didn’t want to have.  Her Emma was sick and needed to be taken care of, yet the thoughts running through Regina’s mind were not solely dedicated to that cause.  Earlier it has been easy to ignore the throbbing between her legs, because Emma’s well being always came above any annoying reactions she may have.  But now, Emma seemed content in her arms, in no need of anything but comfort, and that allowed Regina’s mind to wander.

Emma’s colds were always torture for her, but she never allowed herself to risk more than a kiss.  She hated that a part of her took pleasure out of the torture felt by the younger woman.  It was entirely involuntary, true, but she could never fully convince herself that there was nothing she could do to repress it.

Just the thought of Emma’s impending sneezing fits over the next few days, how her whole body would heave in a tickly torture and hitch before reaching an explosion of relief, had Regina fighting very hard not to squirm in her spot.  She didn’t want to risk waking Emma up, who had apparently fallen into some sort of semi-restful slumber against her chest.

But the throbbing was eminent, mixing with a sticky wetness at the mere thought.  She needed to be strong; she needed to brace herself and power through, but knowing Emma that would not be an easy endeavor.

A sharp intake of breath drew Regina from her thoughts and down to the slumbering blonde.  Though clearly still asleep, Emma’s mouth was open and her nose was delicately twitching.  Regina watched, entranced, for nearly a minute as Emma’s nose continued to scrunch and twitch around an impending sneeze.

Unsure what to do, Regina looked around helplessly.  She couldn’t reach the tissue box without waking Emma, and the younger woman was beginning to look quite uncomfortable with the sneeze that just wasn’t coming. Eyes still closed, Emma shifted closer to scrub her nose against the smooth skin of Regina’s chest, punctuating the movement with a loud sniffle.  Still nothing happened to take the itch from her nose, and the scrunching continued.

There was a temptation that pulled Regina in.  She blamed it on her desire to help Emma out of an uncomfortable situation, but it was impossible to deny the pleasure Regina felt from what she did next.  Carefully, Regina moved her hand from Emma’s back and towards her nose, deciding that a little coaxing might do her some good.

As gently as she could, Regina touched the tip of Emma’s nose with her pointer finger.  As expected, the blonde’s breath hitched, and her nostrils twitched slightly, but relief still did not find her.

Frustrated in a multitude of ways, Regina furrowed her brow and tried again, this time moving her thumb in to help massage the bridge of Emma’s nose.  This did the trick, as soon Emma’s chest was heaving against her, and her mouth hung open in suspense while her bottom lip quivered.

“Heh… hurrESHoo! Hushoo! Heh-eSHooo!”

In a moment of panic, Regina had cupped her hand over Emma’s nose and mouth, unsure what to do as the spray coated her palm.  Emma groaned and her eyes fluttered open, yet Regina still sat frozen with her hand in place.

A moment went by in which recognition slowly dawned on Emma’s face, but it was soon coupled with confusion as she realized the position they were in.

“Bless you,” Regina managed to whisper, her own face not much further away than her hand.  She had never experienced something that felt quite so intimate before, bringing Emma to relief in a way different from sex.  She couldn’t deny the appeal felt in the action, though Emma’s puzzled face brought with it a sense of shame over what she had just done.

Blushing beat red, Regina removed her hand, allowing Emma a better view of her.  

However, rather than feeling judged, as she had expected, Regina felt as if Emma was looking at her like she did during any other conversation.  She just looked curious about what had occurred, and maybe if she hadn’t been so ashamed of herself for taking such an indulgence, Regina would have taken note of that.

Wordlessly, Emma leaned up and captured Regina’s lips in her own.  Her blocked nose meant the kisses were short, but she still managed to pull Regina back to that intimate sensation.  Regina panicked, though, knowing that if Emma tried to go any further she would discover the quick work done to ruin her underwear that had certainly been there from before the kiss began.

That would definitely lead to questions, and she couldn’t stomach the thought of her secret being discovered.

“I need to take a shower,” Regina explained hurriedly during one of the breaks Emma took to breathe, all but jumping up from the bed and away from the other woman.

“Why?  You were so comfy.”  Emma pouted, beckoning Regina to return with her watery eyes.

_Because I need to cool down after that little display._ “Because you sneezed on me, and unlike you, I am concerned with my hygiene this morning.”

“I thought I already doomed you.”  Emma raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes, well, on the off chance you haven’t, I would really like to remain healthy.  Go back to sleep and I’ll make you some soup in a little bit.”

Without waiting for a response, Regina shuffled the rest of the way into the bathroom, barely able to walk with the pressure between her legs that only intensified with the rubbing from each step.  She removed her pajamas and stepped into the shower, not bothering to wait for the water to warm before letting it cover her skin.


	3. In Which Regina Comes Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I didn't intend to make this so long, but I got really into the emotional elements so that I could get that out of the way for the fun part of the fetish exploration. Since it's New Years, I may not get another chapter up tomorrow, but I'll try to get on that as soon as I can. My goal is to finish this before my classes begin again.
> 
> Also, thank you all so much for the positive feedback. It means so much to me that this story is being received so kindly. You all fill my little writer soul with glee!

Regina was sitting in her office reading one of her favorite Hemmingway novels when the next incident occurred.  It started out so innocent, really.  Emma and she had been sitting at opposite ends of the couch, absorbed in their respective readings, when Emma got up to go fetch a snack from the kitchen.  Regina rolled her eyes to herself, not at all surprised that Emma’s stomach won out yet again.

It was when she came back and the sounds of munching didn’t immediately begin that Regina began to grow confused.  Curious, she raised her eyes from the page to see what the blonde was up to.  Rather than some sort of snack food in her hands, Emma was holding a grocery bag and what appeared to be a lighter.

Regina couldn’t help thinking it was a strange turn of events, yet she kept her thoughts to herself for the time being until she could figure out what her wife was doing.

Regina watched over the top of her book while Emma worked silently.  She eventually pulled a thick red candle out of the plastic and set it up on the table, using the lighter to light the wick.

With that taken care of, Emma returned to her end of the couch and her book, not saying a word about the strange actions.  Regina thought back but couldn’t ever remember Emma lighting a candle in her presence, and the evening was a rather average one between them— certainly nothing romantic enough to warrant candlelight.

Then there was the fact that the actual lights in the room were still on, eliminating any need for candlelight in the first place.

It was all very curious, but as Emma had seemingly returned to her book finding nothing out of place, Regina sighed and flipped to the next page of her own story.  Sometimes over-thinking the actions of her wife just gave her an unnecessary headache; she was never lacking in her odd yes endearing little quirks.

However, soon the smell of the candle reached her— something floral— and Regina’s interest was piqued again.  Emma hated the scent of flowers, or at least always seemed to heavily protest it, so why was she purposefully filling an entire room with the smell?

“Huh-ESHH! HehESHoo!” Emma sneezed loudly a few minutes later, almost startling Regina off the couch.          

She looked up, book nearly forgotten across her lap, and immediately Regina noticed that Emma’s hands were cupped together over the lower part of her face.

“Bless you,” Regina managed to murmur as she regained her wits.

The blonde looked as if she wanted to respond but was instead overcome by another bout of sneezing.  “Heh.. hehRESHoo.  Huh ESHoo! Gueshoo!”

Emma sniffled and shot Regina a shy smile as she removed her hands.

“Thank you,” the blonde causally replied before turning her focus back to her book.

Regina tried to do the same, but there was something about the way Emma kept subconsciously rubbing her finger against the underside of her nose that held her attention.  At first, it was just sparingly, but she held on in the hopes that there might be another sneeze in the near future.  Regina was not disappointed when Emma’s nostrils began to flutter delicately against the finger still stretched out and pushing up against them to stave off the itch.  She watched each shaky breath shudder its way through Emma’s parted lips as she hitched and squinted her eyes, clearly still trying to read the book in her hands but failing.  Regina’s own was completely forgotten, the pretense that she wasn’t infatuated by what was occurring lost in the moment.

Emma whined and rubbed her knuckle harder against the pink flesh.  Regina had to bie her tongue to avoid making a similar sound as she squirmed on the couch across the room, captivated by Emma’s battle.

Part of her hoped the sneeze would disappear and spare her any further embarrassment, but that would mean leaving Regina even more frustrated over all the building with no release, and she truly wasn’t sure what the worse fate was. 

In the midst of Emma’s tortured battle, she looked up and locked her eyes with Regina’s.  The brunette felt herself blush a deep crimson for being caught so clearly infatuated, but she could not look away.  Even as she halfheartedly attempted to lift the book to simulate reading, Regina knew she was done for.

Emma broke the intense eye contact when she attempted to sniffle, causing the irritant to reach the furthest nasal cavities where the itch was most intense.  Almost instantly, she doubled over too quickly to remove her finger and blasted forth a series of harsh and wet sounding sneezes, uncovered by anything more than her finger as the desperation to squelch the itch consumed her.

“Ahtshoo! Huh…heh..heESHoo! RUSHiew! Shiew! Shiew! Ah.. AhREHtshoo!”

Her entire body shook with each release, jolting Regina down to the core as she watched the way she expanded and contracted with each shaking and unstable breath that entered and escaped her lungs throughout the fit.  Emma’s lips trembled with each sneeze, wetting themselves with a thin coating of the spray that she did little to cover.

Regina gaped, unable to do anything more than watch in avid fascination.  In the back of her mind, she knew she should do something.  It was unlike Emma to sneeze so intensely, yet sneeze after sneeze, they continued to come out just as strongly, if not wetter in sound, as before.  It was Regina’s worst erotic nightmare, and she could do nothing to stop it from playing out while she sat helplessly in the sidelines, shifting mindlessly in her seat as a wetness of her own began to take form.

Emma’s constant sneezes continued, showing no signs of waning.  Unable to take the throbbing coming from her clit, Regina reached a hand down, hoping a little pressure would take the edge off enough for her to think more clearly.  Instead, her fingers pressed down through quickly dampening trousers at just the moment Emma let out a particularly violent sneeze, and the combination made her moan in pleasure. 

It also brought her back to reality.  Shakily, Regina forced her hand away from where she wanted it the most and straightened herself.  She couldn’t be caught doing _that, being so wrong,_ when Emma was sitting across from her in clear misery.  What would the she think if she caught Regina getting herself off in such a way?  She would label her a freak and leave with Henry in tow, that’s what she would do.

As if to further her point, Emma’s breath hitched wildly before she let out an especially painful sounding sneeze.  “Huh… heheh…heh.. he-AESHiew!”  It squeaked at the end, and Emma whimpered in frustration.  Regina couldn’t tell what was worse, the increased throbbing it created between her legs, or the increased throbbing in her heart that ached with need to comfort her love.

The later won out as she managed to pull together all the self control she could muster, more than she could recall ever needing as the Queen, and Regina shakily found herself capable of speaking.

“E-Emma?  What’s wrong?  What can I do?” she asked helplessly.  Even as she spoke, Regina stood and nervously fluttered around the room as if the answer would just appear. 

Emma looked as though she wanted to answer, but all that she managed was a breathy, “Cah- cahan… ca-ASHoo! Ca-ieshiew!”

“Cashew?” Regina asked, trying and failing to understand.  She was fairly certain Emma wasn’t trying to tell her it was a nut, especially when she was well aware they were a common snack food for the blonde.  It was then that Regina’s eyes fell upon the candle on the table in the center of the room.  She furrowed her brows, confused as to whether or not that could be the source of Emma’s tickly torment.  As far as she knew, it was the only new addition to the room, but hadn’t Emma brought it in herself?  Surely she wouldn’t…

“Oh, you idiot!” Regina growled as realization overcame her.  With a wave of her hand, the candle vanished in a plume of purple smoke.  “You absolute _idiot._ What is wrong with you?” Regina continued ranting.  She was pacing now, unable to stand still and her arousal all but forgotten in the moment.  It was a wonder fire didn’t start blazing from her hands.

The relief flashing across Emma’s face told her she had been right about the candle, despite the fact that her sneezes had yet to end.  The blonde had resorted to keeping both hands cupped firmly over her nose and mouth, likely out of a need to blow her nose and not wanting to make a mess mid-fit.  With a heavy sigh, she grabbed several tissues from a box on her desk and walked them over to Emma, taking a seat next to her still suffering idiot and holding them out.

“Here, blow your nose.  It will help,” Regina explained soothingly.  She reached over with her other hand and began to rub circles on Emma’s upper back, hoping to calm her and somehow calm the tickle still residing deep in her nasal cavities.  She shuddered as another sneeze ripped through Emma’s body and she felt every movement under her palm.

Regina was feeling many things in that moment.  Her arousal, though ignorable, was also a prominent irritant in the back of her mind.  It wanted nothing more than for her to forget everything else and take Emma right there on the couch.  The more rational side of Regina was furious at what Emma had done in the first place, and that was the part keeping her arousal at bay.  The most dominant emotion, however, was that of her desperate need to care for Emma regardless.  That was the one winning out as she tried to soothe her through the remaining expulsions. 

“Th-thaAISHoo! Thagk you,” Emma said with wet snuffle.  Regina pressed the tissues into her slightly lowered hand as she saw another sneeze begin to take form, and they made it just in time for Emma to explode once more with a wet sneeze. 

With a sigh of annoyance, Regina realized that Emma had succeeded in doing very little to clean herself up, and already the tissues in her hand were looking useless.  With the patience of a mother and the resilience of a woman who had survived many town meetings filled with Emma sending her dirty photos, Regina steeled herself and raised a few tissues in her own hand, intent on cleaning the remaining snot from around Emma’s nose.  She made quick work of the mess, not wishing to linger should her thoughts allow her hand to drift just slightly.  Emma’s nose was still twitching a bit, but she gave a tentative sniff when Regina pulled away, the look of relief on her face a signal that she was finished for the time being.

Relieved, Emma managed to blow her own nose one final time and clear her throat.  “Woah, that was intense,” she breathily declared. 

Regina huffed, rounding on Emma now that she was sure she would be all right.  “How could you?!”

Emma’s eyes widened, and for a moment Regina wondered if she was all too much like her old self.  She hated evoking such fear in the one she loved, yet at the same time, her anger was boiling beneath her skin.  This was Emma’s safety—she should be afraid if she valued it so carelessly.

“I lit a candle.  Why, what did you _think_ I did?” Emma pried, meeting Regina’s eyes with her own watery pair.

“Do not put this on me, Emma.  I don’t know what compelled you to torture yourself so sufficiently, but I do not find it humorous.”  Regina huffed and crossed her arms over her chest so Emma couldn’t try to cuddle the anger out of her this time.  “You could have hurt yourself.”

Emma rolled her eyes but managed to look at least a little sheepish.

“It wasn’t that bad, Regina.  Besides, it’s not like I knew I’d react like that to a silly candle.”  Only, Regina knew her wife was quite sure of the reaction she would have, and she didn’t like the prying look Emma was giving her in that moment.  It was clear the blonde was hoping she would take the initiative with a confession.  Her chest tightened uncomfortably.

Regina clenched her teeth and did her best to reign in her anger before speaking firmly.  “I think you knew exactly what it would do to you, Emma.  Please just stop!  I don’t know how you found out, but clearly you have.  Now you just need to forget you ever did.”

Emma sighed and did little to hide her smirk, proud of her endeavors despite Regina’s anger.  “I admit, I may have been testing a theory.  But why is it so bad that I know?  We’ve been married for three years, Regina.  What happened to no secrets?  Why haven’t you ever told me?”

“I believe I asked you to drop it,” Regina snipped.

“Come on, Regina.  We need to talk about this.”

Emma shifted so she was better facing her wife and put a hand on Regina’s thigh.  She squirmed at the touch but did not move away.

“Why?  So you can mock me for being so wrong?” Regina huffed.  “I’m sorry you married such a screwed up person, Emma, but there’s nothing I can do about it at this point.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”  Emma shot her a knowing look.  “We need to talk about this because it’s clearly bothering you, and I thought by now you would understand that I care.  I love you, and I hate seeing you so afraid of yourself like this.”

“There is nothing for us to talk about.”  Regina looked down and picked at an invisible piece of lint on her pants.  Her eyes were beginning to fill with nervous tears and she didn’t want Emma to know.

“God, Regina, can you even say it?  Have you ever actually said it out loud?  You like my sneezing, right?  It turns you on.  Is that it?”  Regina flinched at Emma’s frustrated tone, overwhelmed in the moment at the truth behind her words.  An unexpected sneeze remaining from the candle’s effect caught Emma off guard in that moment, and it was all it took to shove Regina over an emotional cliff.

Instead of responding, Regina’s face crumbled as a sob tore through her lips, soon followed by the hot tears she had been desperately trying to repress.  Emma sighed and put her arms around her wife, allowing Regina to cling to her and cry.  Regina buried her face in Emma’s neck and clasped her white t-shirt in her fingers.

“I-I’m sorry, Emma,” Regina managed to say through her tears.

“For what?  This is hardly the first time you’ve gotten tears on my shirt.  It’s okay.”

Regina sighed and pulled back so she could look Emma in the eyes.  She sniffled and flopped her hands against her lap like deadweight. 

“Not for that.  I lied to you.  I made you marry me and I’m so disgusting.  You didn’t know.  I understand if you want out, now that you know.  Please… please just don’t take Henry and run.”  The tears were returning and quickly running down her raw cheeks.  Regina scrubbed at them in attempt to rub the salty droplets away, but they were only replaced by more.

“Regina… I… what the hell?” Emma asked as her jaw dropped open in surprise.  “There is nothing wrong with you, and I’m not going anywhere.  I mean it when I say I love you.  You are forever doomed to be stuck to the idiot who purposefully gave herself an allergic reaction rather than just asking her wife a simple question.”

Regina chuckled despite her tears.  “It was a rather foolish thing to do.”

“So I noticed from your reaction.  Now come on, what’s this really about?  Of all the secret fetishes you could be hiding from me, I hardly see any innocent little sneezes as some scary threat, yet your reaction says otherwise.”  Emma’s voice was gentle, and though nervous, Regina knew she would not deny her wife the truth now that it was out in the open.

“Daniel wasn’t my first love,” she admitted hesitantly.

“Oh?”

“There was a girl who worked in the stables before him.  Caroline.  She was very sweet and taught me how to ride my first horse.”  Regina smiled fondly at the memory of fiery red hair and hot summer nights on horseback.  “We were only a few years apart in age, and despite her job, she had a horrible hay allergy.  We were briefly involved and… you have to understand, Emma.  Back home, people did not speak so openly about sex beyond the fact that it would be a wedding night obligation to fulfill.  There were no generally enforced norms for sexual attraction—at least not that someone of my age would have been aware of.  We didn’t have the over sexualized media putting thoughts and standards into our heads all our lives. 

“I didn’t think anything of it when I was with her.  She would… you know… and it made me feel things.  Sometimes I talked to her about it, because I thought it was normal.  I thought I was supposed to feel that way.”

“So far I’m not seeing the downside.”

Regina shot her wife a silencing look, making Emma blush sheepishly for interrupting.  She made a motion like closing her lips with a zipper and motioned for Regina to continue with her story.

“Mother overheard us one day.  She was not happy, both with my relationship and with the conversation she overheard.  Caroline was gone the next morning.  Mother… she was very firm in her assertion that I must be corrected.  She told me how disgusting it was for me to think that way.  She said no royal man would ever consider taking me as his wife so long as I expressed myself in such a disgraceful manner.  Sneezing was a grotesque symbol for those who couldn’t afford to live cleanly, and I was perverse for thinking otherwise.”

“I seriously hate your mother,” Emma growled lowly.

“She wasn’t wrong, was she?  Clearly you don’t feel the same, so there must be something wrong with me.  I’m sorry, Emma.”

“Jesus, Regina look at me.  Look me in the eyes.”  Emma paused and looked at her expectantly.  Regina reluctantly peeled her eyes away from her nonexistent piece of lint and met Emma’s.  The blonde continued firmly, “There is _nothing wrong with you._   There is nothing that isn’t natural about your body having a reaction to something, and there is nothing wrong with you enjoying that, okay?  Your mother was wrong.  She was wrong about a lot of things, actually, but this especially.”

“You don’t find me disgusting?” she asked, half terrified and half disbelieving of Emma’s words, like they were too good to be true.

“I actually think it’s kind of cute.”

“Cute?” Regina scoffed.

“Yeah.  The big bad Evil Queen made weak in the knees by a silly little sneeze.  It makes you human, and I love that about you.”

Emma leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Regina’s.  The kiss was light yet reaffirming, though Regina still had her doubts as Emma moved back away from her again.

“But, Mother-“

“Clearly messed you up a lot, which I already knew when I married you.  I can see that you still don’t believe me, but if I have to remind you every day, I will.  There’s nothing wrong with you or your feelings.  You are valid, and so are the things that turn you on.  I want to be able to share and explore these things between us.”

“What do you mean, explore?  You cannot seriously be entertaining the thought that anything can come from this conversation.”

“Why not?  Come on, right now, tell me one fantasy you have.  No judging.”  Emma beamed at her in encouragement.

“Are you certain?”  She had never discussed her fantasies with anyone before.  Part of her was jumping out of her skin with excitement at finally being able to, yet the fear of losing Emma made her hesitant.

“Absolutely.  If you want me to do something I’m not comfortable with, I’ll tell you.  I promise.”

Regina took a deep breath and blushed.  “Well, remember when you were being your typical insatiable self and, as you put it, eating me out?”

“Babe, you have to be more specific.  That happens a lot.”

Regina sighed to herself and shot Emma a joking glare.  “I was getting there.  You sort of sneezed, and I liked it.  Perhaps, on some occasion, you could try that again.”  She sat tall and nodded to herself, proud she had managed to get that out without freezing up.

“Where at?  On your vagina only?  Or somewhere else?”

“Anywhere, really.  Maybe you could start by kissing me and go from there.”

“So just like, sex with sneezing?  See, that’s not so bad, is it?  When you’re ready, I’m going to try it with you.”

“Emma, you don’t have to…”

“I know I don’t.  I want to.  I’ll get rid of the kid and we’ll spend the entire evening this Saturday exploring.  How does that sound?”

Regina couldn’t deny that it sounded very good indeed.  Butterflies were practically exploding in her stomach, but in a decidedly good way. 

“I love you, Emma.  You’re far too good for me.”

“We’re good for each other.  Especially when we communicate.  See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Emma joked, bumping Regina in the side

“Which part, when you nearly killed yourself to make a point or when I cried all over your shirt?” Regina scoffed.

“All of it, because it was all part of the process for you, and that’s what matters.  I’ll suffer through a thousand candles if it makes you happy.”

“You most certainly will not!  Emma, the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable.”

Emma chuckled and shook her head at her wife.

“Relax, Regina.  So we won’t use the damn candle, because okay, maybe I wasn’t anticipating such a strong reaction.  But you know what?”

“What?” she asked curiously.

Emma smirked and leaned in until her lips were inches from Regina’s ear, then she whispered, “The flower it’s scented from makes me sneeze, too, and I’ve never had issues catching my breath with them.”

“I stand by what I said.  Far too good.”

“But you love it.” Emma smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

“Oh, shut up and hold me, idiot.  You owe me and I want to cash in,” Regina ordered, not waiting for Emma’s compliance before moving herself into position in Emma’s arms.

Emma just laughed but obliged, much to Regina’s joy as she nestled into her comfort, a weight off her chest for the first time in years.


End file.
